


Of Broken Cars and Big Rigs

by ZanzaFlux



Series: Slice of Life. [9]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-15 01:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux
Summary: Bendy helps his uncle fix a car and he tries to give 'Lucy' another chance.





	Of Broken Cars and Big Rigs

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on the 2D Bendy AU created by @shinyzango on Tumblr. It also takes place after the previous work: You Can't Smile All The Time.

“Hey J!” Jason was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. He looked up to see June coming in the front door.

“Hmm, what’s up honey?”

“Can you take a look at my car before, ya know…” She sighs softly. “It’s not starting.”

He put his paper down and walked over to her. He wrapped up in his arms and hugged her tightly. “Sure, no problem.” He gave her a warm smile.

Outside, Sarah and Beth introduced Bendy to their friends. The neighborhood kids were chatted and asked the toon a bunch of questions. Henry sat on the steps, kept a watchful eye on the group.

“Hey man, everything okay?” Henry chuckled.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just watching poor Bendy avoid some of the questions being thrown at him.” Jason smiled. The girls tried to help by changing the subject when Bendy started to look uncomfortable. It seemed the neighbors heard the explosion from the other day. There was no way the little toon was going to tell how that happened.

Jason headed for the driveway where June’s car was parked. He opened the door and found the keys sitting in the ignition. He reached in and turned the keys. The car shuddered before she couched out white smoke. “Uh oh.” He quickly turned it off. He didn’t like the sound of that.

He reached under the dash and pressed the button that popped open the hood. Jason walked around the front of the car where he gingerly lifted the hood. He was met with a face full of smoke. He waved it away so he could get a better look.

After a few minutes of poking around the engine, Jason felt a soft tap at his side. “Hmm?”

“Hey Uncle Jason! Whatcha doin’?” Jason was surprised to see Bendy standing next to him. He had a sneaking suspicion that the toon was taking a break from the girls’ friends.

“I’m checking out June’s car. It’s not starting. Gonna see if I can fix it.”

Bendy jumped up and was leaning under the hood. Jason watched as a confused look crossed the toon’s face. Jason could tell he didn’t know what he was looking at. The man gave him a patient smile and began pointing things out. He would name the various parts and explained what they did.

“I gotta get my tool box.” Jason was going to head to the garage when Bendy said he’d get it for him. The man smiled and told him where it was and what it looked like. Soon the toon took off. Within a few minutes, he walked back with a large metal box in both hands.

“Say, would you like to give me a hand?” The toon’s face practically lit up. Jason took that as a yes. Jason spent a good hour under the hood. He would ask for a certain tool and describe what it looked like for the little toon. Bendy would rifle through the tool box until he found what he was looking for and hand it to his uncle.

Henry wandered over with three glasses of ice cold lemonade. Bendy and Jason took a break and accepted the drinks gratefully. Henry chuckled as Bendy pointed out certain things he learned about the engine to him.

“So, have you guys figured out what the problem is?” Henry leaned up against the side of the car. He took a few sips of his lemonade and watched as Jason pulled out a few parts from the engine.

“Yup. The spark plugs need to be replaced and the fan belt it totally shredded.”

The toon looked at the ruined belt in Jason’s hand. He asked if Jason would be able to fix it. Jason grinned and puffed out his chest. He told Bendy that it would be an easy fix. He just needed the parts.

“So partner, feel like taking a trip into town with me?” The toon blinked and looked surprised. Bendy’s grin grew wide until he realized they would have to take ‘Lucy’. He was looking a little nervous.

“Aww c’mon, my baby’s not so bad.” Jason laughed and patted the toon on the shoulder. “You’ll be up front with me, ridin’ shotgun!” Bendy glanced over at Henry. He had a reassuring smile on his face. The toon supposed he could give the big rig another go.

They finished their drinks and Jason took the empty glasses into the house. He cleaned the oil and grime off of his hands. Jason told June and the girls he was taking Bendy into town with him and they would be back in no time.

Bendy followed Jason to the red rig. Jason opened the passenger side door and helped the toon up into it. He closed the door and made his way to the driver’s side. He hopped up into the seat and made sure Bendy had his seat belt on. The ignition was turned and the truck roared to life.

Bendy jumped and grabbed onto the seat. The entire cab was vibrating. It only lasted for a few seconds before the truck began to settle down. Jason backed out and pulled onto the road. He put the rig in gear and it lurched forward and they were on their way.

The little toon stared out the window as they passed by a few houses and an open field. It was then he realized how high up they really were in the big rig. Sitting in the passenger seat, he could see everything. This was a lot better than sitting in the back.

They rode in companionable silence for a few minutes before Jason cleared his throat. That got Bendy’s attention.

“So, you feeling better now?” Jason never took his eyes off the road but he could feel the toon staring at him.

Bendy scratched the back of his head in thought. He did feel better then he did when he first arrived. “Umm, yeah. I guess.”

The man chuckled and told the little toon that he was happy to hear that. He noticed that the toon got quiet all of a sudden so he asked him if something was wrong. It took a minute for Bendy to tell his uncle what was on his mind.

“You’re not angry with me?” Jason gave the toon a quick sideways glance. He looked worried.

“Why would I be angry with you?”

“Well, you know, after everything that happened with Aunt June and all…” The toon trailed off and was staring out the window.

Jason sighed softly. He was wondering if the little toon was going to bring that up. With one hand on the steering wheel, he reached out and placed his hand gently on top of Bendy’s head. Jason heard a soft gasp from the toon.

“You and your aunt apologized, right?” The toon nodded.

“Everything squared between you two, right?” Again, the toon nodded.

“Well then, I have nothing to be angry about.” He ruffled his fingers between the toon’s horns before returning his hand to the steering wheel.

“R-Really?” The toon sounded surprised.

“Yup.” Jason chuckled. “Your aunt and I noticed something was wrong as soon as you stepped in the house. June pushed you because she wanted to help. And in the end, it all worked out.”

“Oh.” There was nothing more the little toon could say to that.

“Don’t worry about it. We all know you’re not normally that… snappy.” Bendy snorted before he laughed. He knew he did more than just snap at his aunt.

Jason smiled. It was nice to see the toon so relaxed again.

“Hey partner, wanna listen to some music?” Bendy said sure and Jason told him the button to turn it on was on the dashboard.

The first thing the toon noticed: there were a lot of buttons on the dash. He wasn’t sure where the radio was. There was something that looked like it, but it seemed to have a mic attached to it. Bendy thought he saw something similar to that in the living room.

“Hey Uncle Jason, what’s this?” The man took a quick glance to see what the toon was pointing at.

“Oh, that’s a CB Radio. I use that to talk to other truck drivers while I’m on the road. Heck, I can even talk to your aunt when I’m close enough.”

“Wow, really?” the little toon sounded excited. “Can we talk to her now?”

“Umm, I dunno.” He scratched his cheek softly. “If she’s not in the room, she might not hear it.”

“Please, please, pleeeaase!” The toon was bouncing in the seat. “It couldn’t hurt to try, right?” Jason just shook his head and chuckled.

“Alright. We’ll give it a try.”

Jason flipped a switch and turned a few knobs before grabbing the microphone. He pressed and held down a little red button on the side and spoke into it.

“Papa Bear to Mama Bear, do you read me? Over.” There was static. He heard Bendy snicker and repeat “Mama and Papa Bear?” Jason smiled and tried again.

“Papa Bear to Mama Bear, do you read me? Over!” More static. He was about to give up when the static sound cut short.

_“This is Mama Bear to Papa Bear, I read you, Over.”_ Bendy was so happy he made a strange squeaking sound. That made Jason laugh.

_“Hey Papa Bear, how’s little bear doin’?”_ Bendy’s head swiveled in Jason’s direction. He looked a little confused until Jason handed him the mic. It was then, the toon realized “little bear” was him. He told Bendy to hold down the red button and talk into it.

“Umm, I’m doing fine Aunt- err ***snickers*** Mama Bear.” He could hear his aunt giggle on the other end before she answered him. They spoke for a few more minutes before Jason told her they were getting close to town.

_“Good! You boys get there and back safely. Over!”_

“We will Mama Bear!” Jason chuckled at how excited the toon sounded.

Ten minutes more of driving found the duo pulling into a lot. There was a large garage full of cars and car parts. Jason parked his big rig near some other trucks, got out, and helped Bendy down. They walked passed a few cars that were being worked on.

They headed towards the open part of the garage. There were men under cars with sparks flying everywhere. The smell of oil was strong here and it made Bendy scrunch up his face. It didn’t seem to bother Jason much. They made their was to a counter. There was a heavy set older man with a long grey beard standing there. He looked up at Jason and smiled. Bendy noticed he had a few teeth missing.

“Hey J! Didn’t know you were in town!” He reached out and shook Jason’s hand.

“Hey Barry! Yeah, I just got back a few weeks ago.” Barry laughed heartily and asked about the family. Jason told him that everyone was fine and that’s when the old man noticed Bendy standing close to him. He leaned over the desk and squinted down at the toon.

“J? Who’s this?” Jason laughed and patted the toon on the head. “This is my nephew, Bendy!” Barry stroked his long beard and seemed to be lost in thought.

“Bendy huh? Looks familiar…” he shook his head and chuckled. “Nah, couldn’t be. Must be old age messin’ with my head. Little guy reminds me of a cartoon character I used to see in the theaters.” Barry laughed but Bendy and Jason shot each other nervous glances.

“Heh, yeah that’s crazy!” Jason ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, anyway, I’m just here for a few parts. I’m fixin’ June’s car.”

“Well, you know what you need, right?” Jason nodded. “Go to it! I’ll be here when you’re done.” Jason thanked him and lead Bendy further into the shop.

Bendy stuck close to Jason’s side. The place was bigger than it looked and he really didn’t want to get lost. There were parts lining the shelves and tires of every size stacked up in the corners. The toon watched as his uncle went from isle to isle picking up parts here and there. He showed the toon the new fan belt and spark plugs that was needed to get June’s car running again.

They got what they needed and headed back to the counter when Jason ran into another person. This guy was as tall as him, bald, and wearing a cut up leather jacket. The man was scowling at them at first until he took a better look at Jason. A huge grin split his face. “Jason, issat you?”

Jason laughed. “Hey Mac, long time no see!” Both men shook hands and patted each other on the back. The toon just stood back and watch as both men spoke of their families and their rigs for a few minutes. That was until Mac’s eyes landed on him. The look he gave Bendy made him a little uncomfortable.

“Say Jase, who’s the little guy behind ya?”

Jason smiled and waved for Bendy to come closer. “This is my nephew, Bendy!”

“Hi there!” The toon held out his hand for the man to shake, but all he got in return was a scowl. Mac crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. Bendy let his hand fall to his side and took a step back.

“Hahahaha! Th-That thing’s your nephew? Hah, good one Jase!” The toon frowned and began staring at his feet. He didn’t like being called a “thing”. It seemed Jason didn’t like it either. Bendy heard a soft growl and looked up to see a smile on the man’s face, but his eyes grew very cold.

“Yes. HE’s my nephew. You got a problem with that?” Bendy was surprised. He’d never heard Jason angry before. He seemed so laid back. Even now, he didn’t yell at Mac, but his tone changed. The man noticed too because he stopped laughing and looked a little nervous. He put his hands up in a placating manner.

“H-Hey man, it’s cool! We‘re cool, right?” Jason rolled his eyes and sighed softly. “Yeah, whatever. C’mon Bendy, we got what we needed. Let’s go.”

Bendy didn’t say anything as Jason paid for the parts and said “goodbye” to Barry. They walked all the way back to Lucy in silence. Jason was stone faced all the way there. The toon wasn’t sure if he should say something or not. Jason stopped for a moment and looked down at Bendy.

“Sorry you had to see that, but he had no right to call you a “thing”. The man’s expression softened a bit. “No way I was gonna stand fer that.”

The little toon smiled. “Thanks Uncle Jason.” Jason opened the passenger side of the rig and helped Bendy inside. “No problem partner.”

Jason started Lucy up and waited for her to settle down, He reached for the radio and turned it on. Something upbeat with a twang began to drift through the speakers. Bendy tilted his head to the side. He didn’t recognize it.

“What is that?” Jason chuckled. “That, my friend, is good ole Country Music! I love listening to this along with Blue Grass and a little Jazz when I’m on the road.” He put Lucy in reverse and pulled out of the lot.

Bendy giggled as Jason tried to sing along to the song on the radio. The notes were too high for him so his voice would crack every once and awhile. Jason didn’t care, he just sung louder. It was all too funny to the little toon.

A few minutes later, a soft jazz number drifted through the cab. Jason tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He looked over at the toon to see him staring out the window.

“Hey, Uncle Jason?” The sudden sound of the toon’s voice made him jump a little.

“What’s up?”

“Umm, do you ever get, well, lonely on the road by yourself?”

“Huh, well-” Jason wasn’t expecting this. He took one hand off the steering wheel to run his fingers through his hair. “In the beginning, I was very lonely. I’d spend days driving from state to state, hauling cargo around. I’d meet up with other drivers at rest stops but it only helped a little bit.”

The man chuckled softly. “But then, I met your aunt. A few years later, Beth and Sarah came a long.” The man hummed softly. “They give me a reason to go out and do what I have to do. It’s not so lonely because I have them to come home to.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the toon smiling at him. Jason was beginning to understand why Henry wanted the little guy to get to know his family. He knew the toon couldn’t take being alone anymore. Well, as far as he was concern, Henry wouldn’t have to worry about that.

An half an hour later, Lucy came roaring up to their road. Jason pulled to the side of the house and she rumbled to a stop. Jason got out and helped Bendy down before he headed towards the house. Henry stood by the back door and told them they were just in time for lunch.

June had set out a plate of sandwiched and a pitcher of iced tea at the picnic table. The girls waved Bendy over and the toon dashed over to the table. There were a few neighborhood kids still around. All the kids sat at the table chatting and laughing as they ate. The adults took their sandwiches and sat on the porch.

After he was done, Jason headed for June’s car. He got out his tools and popped the hood to her car. Before he could even get started, he heard Bendy call out to him.

“Hey Uncle Jason!” The man turned to see the toon running up to him.

“Bendy? I thought you were gonna play with the kids after lunch.” The toon shook his head.

“We have a job to do! I’d like to finish what we started… if that’s okay with you?” Jason smiled and told him it was fine. The little toon’s face practically lit up.

The toon handed Jason the tools he needed and poked his head under the hood to see what Jason was doing. Soon, the fan belt and new spark plugs were placed in the engine. Jason told Bendy to get in the car and when he gave him the signal, to turn the key.

The man made sure everything was in place before yelling “Now!”

Bendy turned the key in the ignition and felt the car sputter for a moment. Soon, it roared and settled down. As Jason put it “she was purring like a kitten”.

“It working Uncle Jason! It working!”

“Good job partner! You can turn her off now.” The toon turned the engine off and jumped out of the car. He ran up and hugged his uncle. Jason just laughed and hugged him back. “Ya know, you’d make a good mechanic someday.” Bendy smiled brightly. Jason let him go and told him to go play. The little toon nodded and took off like a shot.

Later that night dinner was very interesting. Bendy was telling everyone about how he helped Jason fix June’s car.

“Uncle Jason said I could be a mechanic someday!” They all watched as he puffed out his chest. Jason nodded. “Yup, partner really helped me out today.” The girls cheered and June said she was proud of both of them.

Henry just sat back and watched as Bendy swelled with pride. Their visit started out a little rough but he’s so glad they came.

  
**-OoOoOoOoO-**

  
In the middle of the night, Bendy woke with a start. He had a nightmare. They weren’t as frequent as they were when he first left the studio. They were scary enough to wake him up. The really bad ones would leave him screaming loud enough that Henry would come running into his room.

He managed to stay quiet and not wake the girls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get back to sleep. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, he decided to go downstairs and get a glass of water.

He snuck out of the room and tip toed down the hall. He didn’t want to wake anyone. He made it halfway down the steps when he noticed Jason sitting on the couch. He seemed to be packing some clothes in a bag.

“Uncle Jason?” The man turned to see the little toon standing at the bottom of the steps.

“Hey partner. Why are you up so late?” Bendy began wringing his gloved hands together. “I had a bad dream.”

“Oh.” Jason zipped up his bag and placed it on the floor. “Do ya wanna talk about it?”

Bendy winced as images of ink filled hallways crossed his mind. He lowered his head. “No, not really.”

Jason hummed softly. He walked over to the little toon and placed his hand on top of his head. “Come with me.” He lead Bendy into the kitchen. He told him to take a seat as he pulled two tall glasses from the cabinet. He went into the freezer and pulled out a large tub of vanilla ice cream. He also took out a bottle of root beer, two straws, and placed everything on the counter.

Bendy watched as Jason placed two scoops of ice cream in each glass and poured root beer over it. The drink fizzled and frothed at the top. Jason stuck a straw in each glass. He put everything back in the frig and walked over to the table with both glasses in hand. He placed one in front of Bendy as he took a seat across from him.

Bendy’s eyes were shining as he took a sip of the root beer float. The ice cold drink was smooth and the hint of vanilla and sarsaparilla made the little toon smile. He learned early on to drink this slowly after his first ice cream headache. Yeah, that almost ruined ice cream for him forever.

Jason didn’t ask Bendy about his nightmare for which the little toon was grateful. Instead, the man talked about the various states he’d been to and the weird things he’d seen on the road.

“Wait, wait, wait! There’s a giant ball of yarn there? Like the size of a barn?” Bendy looked skeptical and Jason just laughed.

“I swear it’s there! They made a museum to it and everything!” The toon just shook his head. He wanted to see that with his own eyes. He couldn’t imagine someone spending their time creating something like that.

“Hey, Uncle Jason?”

“Hmmm?”

“Are you going somewhere? I noticed you were packing a bag…” The toon was twirling the straw in his nearly empty glass.

“Yup. I got some cargo to haul. I’ll be gone for maybe a week or so.” Jason finished off the rest of his float. “I gotta get an early start this morning’.”

“Oh…” Bendy tried to hide a yawn behind his gloved hand, but Jason wasn’t fooled. He collected their glasses and placed them in the sink.

“C’mon partner, lets get you to bed.”

“Wha? I’mma not tired.” His black eyes were half lidded and his head started to bob to the side.

“Uh huh.” Jason scooped the toon up into his arms and headed up the stairs. Bendy was too tired to even put up a fight. Jason quietly made his way to the girls’ room where he placed the sleepy toon on the cot and tucked him in for the night. He walked over to Beth and Sarah where he whispered something to them and kissed them on the forehead.

Before he left the room, he reached down and patted Bendy on the head. He wished the toon sweet dreams and left the room.

A soft smile graced the toon’s face as he had a dream he was driving Lucy through the front doors of the Studio:

_He blasted her loud air horn as she crashed through wall after wall and ran over any searcher that got in their way. Soon they came barreling out the other end of the building and he watched with glee as the studio collapsed into a pile of rubble. They came to a screeching halt and the truck seemed to growl as the hell hole burned to the ground._

_The toon laughed and hugged the steering wheel._ “Thanks Lucy.” _The cab swayed from side to side and they drove off as the sun rose on a new day._

That was the best dream Bendy had in a long time. Maybe Lucy wasn’t so bad after all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This one just popped into my head. I had a lot of fun writing this little fic.


End file.
